The Objective of the Book

This chapter lays the groundwork for an in-depth examination of Adult Learning Systems (ALSs) in four Central European nations—the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland—from 1989 to 2019. It draws on their common post-socialist heritage and processes of European Union integration to analyse these systems. The chapter outlines the book’s objective to unpack the dynamics of ALSs, scrutinising how factors such as institutional frameworks, patterns of participation, and barriers influence participation in adult education and training. It critiques existing ALSs typologies for their inadequacy in capturing country-specific variations. Furthermore, the chapter highlights the role of organised adult learning in bolstering economic competitiveness and social inclusion, defines ALSs, addresses participation constraints, and proposes a spatial-temporal analytical framework. The discussion concludes by underscoring the necessity of understanding the formation pathways of ALSs systems alongside recent societal shifts impacting Central European countries.